Minority Supplier Following negotiations with his Chinese counterparts over the weekend, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expects China to revive substantial purchases of U.S. soybeans and to delay expanding its licensing requirement for rare earths. The Treasury lead claims to understand the angst of farmers because he also owns farmland. While markets rose in response to the news, the absolute rebound may be limited. Soybean prices have been declining for three years, and while China’s refusal to buy U.S. beans has been disappointing, other nations have increased their buying due to the Yankee price discount. The real issue has been Brazil’s ascent as a producer and supplier. Its share of soybean production over t...